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Mike Hubbard wins 2nd term as Ala. House Speaker

Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, speaks after being elected as the speaker of the house as his son, Riley Hubbard, left, looks on during the House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the Chamber of the Alabama House of Representatives in Montgomery.(Photo: Albert Cesare / Advertiser)Buy Photo

Auburn Republican Mike Hubbard was overwhelmingly elected to a second term as Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday, a few months after his indictment on public corruption charges.

Hubbard, a 16-year veteran of the House, won 99 votes

out of the 105 possible votes in the chamber, with a number of Democrats casting ballots for Hubbard. There were no other nominees.

With his family watching from the well, Hubbard told members after the vote it was "truly an honor and a privilege" to win re-election, and said he would work to move "Alabama forward with new ideas and proposals that are firmly rooted in our state's conservative tradition."

There are 72 Republicans and 33 Democrats in the House of Representatives.

The Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature will begin in March. Lawmakers will have to cope with a budget deficit estimated at between $250 million and $283 million, and will likely take up legislation aimed at addressing the severe overcrowding in the state's corrections system. Hubbard alluded to the budget problems in the speech, saying the budget should be balanced "in a manner that keeps our economy strong, while avoiding broad-based burdens being placed on the taxpayers we represent."

The Speaker was indicted in October on 23 charges of using public office for private gain. Prosecutors allege that Hubbard solicited investments in and business for a printing firm in which he holds an interest, and accuse the Speaker of lobbying the Governor's Office and the Alabama Department of Commerce on behalf of business clients.

Hubbard has pleaded not guilty to the charges and accused the Alabama attorney general's office of political motives in pursuing the case, which the office denies. Mark White, an attorney for Hubbard, said in October that the transactions in the indictment were legal and ordinary.

Hubbard did not directly mention the case in his speech, but said members of the House had "blessed my family and me with your prayers and constant expressions of support."

"Our home thanks this House for turning adversity into magnificent opportunity," he said.

In nominating Hubbard, House Majority Leader Micky Hammon, R-Decatur, called Hubbard "a man of honor, a man of integrity, a man of honesty."

"He's making a lot of great things happen in this state, and we're looking forward to more in the next four years," he said.

Though there were no other nominees for Speaker, Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, cast a ballot for himself.

The House also re-elected Rep. Victor Gaston, R-Mobile, to the position of Speaker Pro Tempore. Gaston received 100 votes. Jeff Woodard was also re-elected as Clerk of the House of Representatives.

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Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, moves his gavel after being elected as the speaker of the house on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the Chamber of the Alabama House of Representatives in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, takes his oath of office after being elected as the speaker of the house on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the Chamber of the Alabama House of Representatives in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, speaks after being elected as the speaker of the house as his son, Riley Hubbard, left, looks on during the House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the Chamber of the Alabama House of Representatives in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Mike Hubbard, Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, sits in his chair after being elected as the speaker of the house on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the Chamber of the Alabama House of Representatives in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, looks on during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Victor Gaston, R-Mobile, looks on as he is elected Speaker Pro Tem of the House of Representatives during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, looks on during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Victor Gaston, R-Mobile, takes his oath of office after being elected Speaker Pro Tem of the House of Representatives during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, addresses the house during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville, addresses the house during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Dimitri Polizos, R-Montgomery, talks to other members before the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Dexter Grimsley, D-Newville, takes his oath with other members of the Alabama House during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Mark Tuggle, R-Alexander City, takes his oath with other members of the Alabama House during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, looks on during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser

Rep. Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, looks on during the Alabama House of Representatives organizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at the house chambers in Montgomery, Ala. , Albert Cesare / Advertiser